Wild Meadows Improvisation Intensive

Join members of SPAN: Spontaneous Performing Artists Network, a national group of improvising artists, July 12th - 20th, 2014 for an intensive exploration of improvisation through somatic modalities, Contact Improvisation, site-specific exploration and performance.

Located at Wild Meadows Farm in Schellsburg, PA, and surrounded by 200 acres of secluded mountain ranges and fertile valleys near the Allegheny Mountains, the intensive will provide ample opportunities to nurture, expand and challenge your improvisation practice.

GENERAL INFORMATION: Wild Meadows is surrounded by secluded mountains ranges and fertile valleys, an ideal location for reflective thought and investigation into the practice of improvisation. Some previous experience is requested. Break periods will be scheduled to enable participants to take in the glorious natural surrounding of the farm.

FOOD: is included and will be communally prepared. Each participant will be requested to assist in the preparation of 2-3 lunch/dinner meals (with work study assistance).

You're welcome to pay whatever you can afford within the sliding scale. Please keep in mind when choosing your fee that the market rate for a retreat of this scope is $475 or higher. We're offering a sliding scale a scale rate to include folks with varying incomes/situations.

WORKSTUDY:Two positions available, first-come first serve for a discounted rate of $225. Full payment needed to secure workstudy position. Please email Wildmeadows@PHFFFT.org a few sentences about your interest in the retreat and financial need.

CONTACT:Questions? Please contact us: register@phffft.org

Cyrus Khambatta has presented choreographed and improvised CI-inspired works independently and with his dance company in eight U.S. states and fifteen countries on three continents. Some notable venues include The Spoleto Festival USA (SC), The San Francisco International Arts Festival, The Vancouver International Dance Festival, The World Expo (Lisbon), New York Improvisation Festival, The Young Choreographers Festival (Venezuela), the Seattle Festival of Alternative Dance and Improvisation, The Budapest Kontakt Festival and Trans Contact Festival (Romania). In 2004, he was awarded California's Daman New Choreography award and selected for The National Dance Project's Regional Dance Development Initiative. He is the Artistic Director of The Seattle International Dance Festival, which has presented over 350 artists/companies from 20 countries. He also organizes The Fireside Series, a local Seattle-basedimprovisation festival, The Youth Dance Empowerment Project and Wild MeadowsImprovisation Retreat. His work has been commissioned by Ririe Woodbury Dance (UT), Donald Byrd's Specturm Dance Theatre (WA), Evergreen City Ballet and other companies and universities/colleges. He has taught at numerous universities and dance programs internationally. He also runs Grassroots, a small studio in Seattle that invites national and international CI artists to teach. His company is currently touring India Calling, commissioned by Kirkland Performance Center (WA) and Myrna Loy Center for the Arts (MN), a collaboration with world renown India Veena player, Nirmala Rajasekar and composer/cellist Michelle Kinney (Sheryl Crow/Natalie Merchant) about the influence of genetics on our movement, thoughts and behavior. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.KhambattaDance.org.

Curt Haworth, an expatriate Californian, lived in New York City for twenty years before moving to Philadelphia in 2009. He holds a BA in Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz and a MFA in Dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He has an eclectic movement background ranging from athletics to modern dance and release techniques, to yoga, contact improvisation and ballet. His work has been shown in Philadelphia at: the Annenberg Center, The Painted Bride. The CEC, and various Fringe venues; and in NYC at: The Danspace Project, LA MAMA, DNA, Symphony Space, Movement Research at the Judson Church, IFNY, Dixon Place, PS122, Metamorphosis, DanceNow, New Dance Alliance; as well as at: Rockland Community College, Bennington College July Program, and Tanecne Divadlo in Bratislava, Slovakia. He was a Movement Research Artist in Residence in 2001-2002. Curt performed with Lisa Race's Race Dance from 1993-2000, and toured internationally with David Dorfman Dance from 1990 to 2002, while creating over 15 original roles. He has taught regularly at Movement Research and DNA (formerly Dance Space Center) in NYC. He is the director of PARD in Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to supporting new movement performance and teaching, located at the Mt Vernon Dance Space. He has taught and set work as a guest artist throughout the United States and Europe and is currently an Associate Professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Nicole Bindler, is a body-based performing artist, inspired by her studies of new dance, dance-theater, contact improvisation and butoh. She is also a bodyworker and uses Somatic practices, such as Body-Mind Centering, Yoga and Feldenkrais as a source of creativity, inspiration and physical training. Her work has been shown throughout the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Berlin, Tokyo, Beirut, Mexico and Quito, Ecuador. She has been presented by High Zero Festival, Transmodern Age Festival, Shawinigan Street Theater Festival, Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, D.C. Improvisation Festival, Fireside Festival, nEW Festival, X Fest, Bowerbird, CEC New Edge Mix, First Person Arts, Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts and Irtijal09'. Her work has been supported by Philadelphia Dance Projects, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and Dance Advance. Her piece "I made this for you." created in collaboration with Gabrielle Revlock was a 2011 finalist for the A.W.A.R.D. Show! She has taught Somatics and Contact Improvisation throughout the U.S., Argentina and at International Contact Festival Freiburg in Germany.http://nicolebindler.com/